The word 'potential' has always been associated with Plymouth Argyle throughout its 139-year history and that potential has helped a number of well-known managers during that time, with Wayne Rooney being the most recent example.
When England's second highest goalscorer took charge of Argyle in the summer of 2024, it could be argued that he needed Plymouth Argyle as much as Plymouth Argyle needed him. After seeing Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher leave for Preston North End and Stoke City respectively, the Pilgrims' progress up through the leagues had stalled following the appointment and dismissal of former England Under-20 coach Ian Foster. Whilst Rooney didn't need the job in a financial sense, he saw the role as a chance to resurrect his reputation as a manager in the wake of his dismissal by Birmingham City.
Despite the scepticism that initially greeted his appointment, there were times when it looked as though it might have worked out for him. During the course of September and October, the Pilgrims secured impressive home wins over Sunderland, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers. However, a series of heavy away defeats, which contributed to their poor form on their travels which saw them only pick up two points in 13 games - leaving them bottom of the Championship at the time of his departure.
In spite of Rooney's failings, one thing shouldn't be forgotten and that is that the Championship is one of the hardest leagues to manage in. With clubs being relegated from the Premier League receiving millions of pounds in parachute payments, many bounce back at the first attempt, but others aren't so lucky and end up falling further. Then there are other well-resourced clubs with fanbases far in excess of the Pilgrims.
Therefore clubs like Argyle, who are amongst the clubs with the lower budgets in the division, need to 'box clever' in order to compete with likes of Leeds United, Burnley, Sheffield United and Sunderland.
During their previous spell in English football's second tier, between 2004 and 2010, the Pilgrims acted quickly to dismiss Bobby Williamson early in the 2005-06 campaign. Williamson had taken over from Paul Sturrock in 2004 and Argyle were in danger of relegation. Nevertheless, they moved quickly to appoint Tony Pulis, who steered the Pilgrims to safety before returning to Stoke City and then passed the managerial baton onto Ian Holloway.
Survival will be the aim for Rooney's successor, with former manager Schumacher emerging as the fan's favourite to succeed him. With his backroom staff of assistant Mike Phelan and first team coach Simon Ireland and even Director of Football Neil Dewsnip being tipped to leave, he will have the carte blanche to bring in his own backroom team and he will need to hit the ground running.
